Gamble:Five Nights at Applejack's
by Cesilfei
Summary: Darren Gamble needs a job, badly, and unfortunately for him the only place hiring at the moment is Applejack's Barn, a restaurant in town based around the show 'My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic', which has animatronic versions of the 'Mane Six'. Despite the fact that he isn't a brony, this high school graduate must take the job. Warning: Contains swearing, blood, and dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

Hello guys, this is a fan-fiction inspired by Bird-Spirit's Five Nights at AJ's art on Deviantart, this was also written by my brother Jamie. :P

**[A/N] Disclaimer: I don't own Five Nights at Freddy's or My Little Pony, please credit the official owners as I don't claim ownership.**

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><p>It was a warm day the time that summer started, I sighed as I looked out the window to find that the sky was blue, the clouds decorated the skyline, the birds were out...As for everything close to the ground, it was the same boring backdrop...A small town, cars on the roads...There was nothing really interesting in my part of town...But elsewhere in this town was the place I would be working at over summer...<p>

I sighed as I looked over to the crumpled up flier on my desk, I blinked as I looked it over...It was the bane of everything I stood for..."Applejack's Barn..." I groaned, looking over the pictures of animatronic ponies on the page.

Now, you may be wondering to yourself, 'Darren, why would you, a guy, want to work at a place based on a cartoon for little girls?'...Well, let me tell you something...I don't enjoy this decision, i'm broke and need a job, I know nothing about the show and I have no intention of continuing on after the first episode...I'm working there because it's literally the last place I could run to.

I slowly entered my bathroom, fetching my toothbrush and toothpaste, before looking into the mirror...Let's see, I have sickly pale skin, the dark bags under my eyes should probably indicate insomnia...My dark, hazel eyes looked as bored as I felt, my long, black hair had hints of brown...Is it sad that i've been compared to characters such as 'The Grudge' girl or the girl from 'The Ring'?

I sighed to myself, "I complain about it, yet i'm taking a job at such a girly place..." I groaned before cupping my face in my hands, "Once I get enough money to get into a writing career i'm gonna...Do something..." I stated with a drowsy tone, "Fuck, what's something defiant of a culture that isn't illegal, I gotta show i'm not 'one of them' somehow!"

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><p>I groaned as I opened the door to the establishment I was working at, the smell of both apples and pizza filled the air, as for noise, I could hear the screaming of children as closing hour was arriving...Then again there weren't just kids and their parents...I watched as teenagers of both genders started to leave as well...<p>

I couldn't help but sigh, *The fuck do they see in this show?* I wondered as I looked around.

The place didn't look too bad, the floor was colored to be a mix of cartoonish dirt and grass, there was what I assume to be fake hay laying about, there were two stages in this rather spacious pizzeria on the one in the front were three animatronic ponies, the one in the center was A.J. I could tell because all six of the main characters were introduced in the first episode. Essentially she was almost completely an orange-like color, her mark was three apples, except for her blond 'mane', it seemed to become a ponytail at some point, her tail...Whatever you call it, did the same thing, both of which were tied near the end with a red band, she had white-ish 'freckles', green eyes, and a cowboy-like hat...Essentially she looked just like the show but more...You know...Animatronic.

Next to her were two animatronics, Twilight to her right, the main character. She was mostly a light purple color, her long 'mane' was a dark purple with two 'strands' that were a different color, but fitting the scheme, her mark was...I dunno, a sparkle? Her horn stuck out of her forehead, her eyes were purple, and her tail matched her mane...Other than that, once again, this was an animatronic.

To her left was Rarity, the character I probably cared the least about. her body was mainly white as snow, like the others she had some kind of marking on her 'hips', which was three 'diamonds' I guess? Her mane was a darker purple, same with her tail, and her eyes were a light blue in terms of color...I dunno, I just didn't like this character, she struck me as the snobbish, rich type...But I guess I never found out, did I?

Soon a voice caught my attention, somebody was waving at me from beyond the benches that were set up...It was a woman who was a little older than me, standing next to her was a guy leaning against the wall.

I walked over, getting a better look at them. The woman had short, black hair, white skin, and grey eyes, she wore an orange jacket, blue jeans, and brown boots, on her chest was a pin that had 'Manager' in bold font, below that was her name 'Samantha Erickson'...The man next to her was slightly taller than me, he had dark skin, short, black hair with red highlights, he wore a dark blue...Track suit?...Oh, I get it, that was the usual thing for security. To compliment this he was wearing baggy pants of a matching color, and black shoes. On his chest was an employee badge, in bold font was 'Security:Day-shift' next to it was his name 'Louis Barton'.

Samantha smiled, "I see you made it, good to see you Mr. Gamble!" she stated, extending a hand. her handshake was firm, it was also brief, which I was thankful for, "Odd, you look different than you sound over the phone." she stated.

I sighed, looking down, "Why does everyone say that, I sound as grumpy as I look..." I stated, ready for whatever was coming.

"Alright, so first of all, welcome to Applejack's Barn!" Samantha stated happily, "You have no idea what a relief it is to have someone on the night-shift now, the spot's been vacant for a day or two now, poor Louis here had to volunteer to fill the spot." she stated, gesturing towards Louis, who just nodded, a toothpick sticking out of his mouth...Guess it was meant to replace a straw, no idea why he'd be going for that kind of look though.

"It wasn't that big a deal, I needed some overtime anyway." he stated nonchalantly, I guess he didn't want the attention he was getting.

Samantha nodded to him, "Still, you did well." her attention returned to me, "Anyhow, Louis will be showing you the office, there will be a spare uniform in there for you, have a safe night you two!"

As she left my attention turned to Louis, he pushed himself off the wall stuffing his hands in his pockets. He nudged his head towards two halls, "Both of them lead to the security office, let's get moving." He looked like he was eager to get out of here, maybe he was in the same boat as me?

I nodded before following him down the right hallway, there was a ventilation shaft that ended in the right wall, probably coming from the kitchen...We eventually arrived at a small room, there weren't doors as far as I could tell...In the center of the room was a chair, there was a desk at it's front, the desk was covered in stuff like...It had a phone, a fan...And the security screen...One of them...

Louis gestured towards the wall, on it were two buttons, they were labeled 'Lights' and 'Door'. I blinked as he pressed both, the light flickered outside the door frame for the light, and for the door a heavy, metal door slammed down, causing me to jump, "Wow..." is all I could manage.

Louis nodded, "Never know what'll break in." he stated i the same bored tone he had before, he gestured to the windows of the office, "The windows are strong enough to resist in a hurricane, the magnetized doors won't take any damage any time soon." he stated, "Use the monitor and you'll be able to keep track of anywhere the security cameras can watch, close the doors only when necessary...The lights'll tell you if somebody's in the halls...You got a set amount of power your able to pull from the generators at night, sorry, had to be done cause somebody tried running them all night to prize up our bills."

I blinked, "Isn't that illegal?"

Louis chuckled, "Yeah, but some people are just dicks." I nodded in acknowledgement, "Anyway, your shift starts at twelve, it'll end at six. Any questions?"

I blinked as I looked everything over, I pulled on my jacket, the pin was blank, I put on the cap that came with it, the same dark blue in terms of color. I shook my head, "Nah, don't want to keep you." I stated, according to the clock it was 11:32.

Louis nodded, "Cool." just as he was about to leave he turned his head, "Oh yeah, the key for lock up is in the desk, don't forget to lock those main doors before your shift starts, and make sure your back in your office before eleven."

I nodded, retrieving the keys from the desk and following him out.

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><p>I sighed as I sat down in my office, looking around, "Well...This might not be as bad as I thought." I stated, I had shut off the lights and all that, "I mean, i'll be in here...Not having to deal with the-<p>

My thoughts were cut short when I heard a ringing noise, I turned my attention to the phone on the desk. I blinked as it rang, eventually pressing the play button, "Uh, hello, hello?" a girl's voice played, "Um...I'm recording this for whoever is taking my place, uh...Hi, if your getting this message it looks like you got the job, congrats!"  
>I blinked as the message continued, "Now, i'm finishing up my last week here, so I figured i'd leave a message to help you get settled in, so welcome to Applejack's Barn, a place for fans of My Little Pony to enjoy pizza and other food options in a friendly, safe environment."<p>

I sighed, "No, I couldn't tell..." I stated sarcastically.

The message played on, "Heh, in retrospect I don't think Applejack would like us selling pizza in her barn...Uh, anyway, I have to go over this...Thing...It's kinda a legal thing so hopefully you listen." I raised an eyebrow, "So basically, we here at Applejack's Barn are not responsible for death or disappearance of an individual, if either event occur we will send out a missing person's report within the span of ninety days...Well, after we're sure everything's clean and the carpets are bleached."

I leaned back in my chair, my eyes wide, "Uh...That's kinda fucked up..." I stated quietly.

"Now, I know that might sound bad but you really have nothing to worry about, the room that your in is the safest place in town." she stated, "Now, concerning your safety, the only real threat to you as a night watchman here is the fact that the animatronic characters...They kinda wander at night, they are placed on some form of free-roaming mode so that their joints and stuff don't lock up. Now, this wouldn't be so bad if their sight wasn't so buggy at night, you see, at night they can't differentiate a human from a humanoid endoskeleton, so basically...If they see you...They'll probably be confused, there are no human animatronics and endoskeletons aren't allowed to leave backstage without costumes..." She stated, she hesitantly droned on, "So they'll probably...Adjust you...To a more pony-like state before cramming you into one of the costumes backstage...Needless to say that would be both very painful and ,probably, fatal, especially to the head. You know, with the animatronic devices in facial region...The most of your face that would make it out of there would be your eyes and teeth."

I stared forwards, my jaw agape, "The...Actual...Fuck!?"

The message continued, "But don't worry, just keep them out of your room with the doors and you should be fine...if they get to the doorway you'll have a few seconds to react, their systems temporarily blank out when light's flashed on them so that will keep them off you for a second, anyway, good luck, i'll see you tomorrow!"

...And with that the message ended...

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><p>That's the first chapter, I hope you enjoyed. :P<p>

Feel free to leave a review if you so desire, also, please critique because we could always use improvement, so please leave constructive criticism. :3

See you for the next one. :D


	2. Chapter 2

Figured i'd go ahead an post the next chapter, the others will have to wait though. :P

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><p>I stared, forward, "The fuck is wrong with this place?" I asked myself, that's when I heard something. I checked the monitor, the screen showed the center stage, "Huh...Applejack...Rarity...WAIT!?" I flickered through the different cams until I saw Twilight, standing in the right hallway, my left.<p>

I blinked, the animatronic seemed to freeze in place, standing in the darkness. I looked into the hallway, surely enough she was in the middle of the hall...Just...Staring at me...

*The hell...* I thought to myself, "Oi, just go back to your stage, your not allowed back here!" I stated, shooing her away...Needless to say the animatronic just stood there...

I blinked before ducking back into the office, I looked around before looking back at the monitor. Everything else was in it's place, I could hear the movement of animatronic limbs, it wasn't exactly subtle. I looked back at the door and flickered the light to see the Twilight animatronic standing outside it, the animatronic eyes looked bloodshot, almost making me jump.

"H-Hello, m-my name is T-Twili-" I quickly pressed the door, it slammed down in front of her, cutting her off.

I sighed as I stepped back, "Yeah, no!" I stated. I looked back to the monitor, flicking it on, everything was still in place luckily. I looked out the window, it was dark but I could see the outline of a certain robotic pony...Well, unicorn. I frowned, "No...I don't wanna be friends, just go back...I'm not an endoskeleton."

Hmm...Strangely I don't think it was listening...

I looked through the security cams again, I could hear muffled animatronic movement as Twilight left the door. Rarity had left the stage, I checked both the left and right but after hearing some noise in the kitchen I sighed in relief, raising the right door now that I was safe, *Good...At least there's only three of them...* I thought to myself.

Twilight seemed to be fiddling with the door to backstage, for some reason the camera back there was set to audio only, that and it was apparently locked...Rarity was in the kitchen, Applejack was still on stage...The second stage was still vacant, the curtain was untouched...Whoever was supposed to be there was probably stuck behind the curtain for one reason or another.

But I thought that there were six of them...Where were the others...Probably in the backstage somewhere...

The checking game was back on when I heard a noise in the vents, I quickly turned my attention to the right, flashed the lights, Rarity was standing outside. She didn't look as intimidating as Twilight had, but was still creepy in the dark nevertheless. I slammed the door on her, just as I had Twilight, not long afterwords I heard an animatronic voice, "W-Worst, P-possible, THING!"

I blinked as I jumped a step backwards, *Not for me it's not!* I stated in my mind, "I'd rather not get ponified, thank you!"

My gaze shifted to the monitor, aside from Twilight and Rarity nothing was moved. I sighed in relief, Rarity was still outside the door but Twilight was just chilling in the main room...

I sighed to myself as I slumped in my chair, "This is so not worth the money!" I hissed as Rarity left the door.

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><p>The rest of the night was relatively uneventful, eventually I watched as they marched back onto the stage, freezing back into place before their eyes darkened slightly.<p>

I sighed as the bell rang, signaling the end of my shift, "Thank god!" I blinked as I left the room, slowly entering the main room hesitantly as I stared at the stationary animatronics, "Little monsters..." I grumbled to myself.

I noticed the second stage was called 'Cloud Cove', i'm guessing that was Rainbow Dash's stage then. My attention turned from that to the sound of doors opening, I looked over to see Samantha entering the main room, "Hey, looks like everything's in it's lace, good job!" she stated, "So, did you enjoy your first night?"

I stared at her, walked over to her, took off my hat and jacket, handed it to her, and walked past her, "Nope."

On the way out I passed Louis, who watched me as I left the building.

Louis blinked a few times before turning back to his employer, "Told you we should've told him."

Samantha shook her head, "You act like he's gone." Louis raised an eyebrow, resulting in her chuckling darkly, "Who'll believe him if he tells? Besides, he's broke with nowhere else to turn...He'll be back tonight, just watch."

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><p>I groaned as I flopped onto my bed, I watched as the sky grew brighter as the morning sun rose. I covered my face with my hands, *God dammit...The cops thought I was a complete nut...* I hissed in my mind, "When my sister said ponies were the bane of my existence I had no clue she meant it literally, what the hell am I supposed to do now?"<p>

As if in response I heard a knock at my door, "Hello, brother?" I blinked before walking to the door, I opened it to reveal the little girl that was my little sister.

She was little despite being sixteen, she had pale, white skin with large, droopy, hazel eyes, and her short, black hair was in a bob-cut. She wore a completely white hoodie, it was in medium, size so basically her chin was hidden behind her color, her long sleeves hid her hands, and she was wearing a dark blue skirt that ended slightly below her knees.

I stared down at her, she stared back, "What's wrong Mary?" I asked, hoping she didn't think I was making her appear childish.

Mary tilted her head, "Your not a closet brony, are you brother?" she asked, a perfectly straight face, "I saw that flier in your room, in all honesty I was quite surprised."

My left eye twitched as I reeled backwards, my face scrunched up, "NO, I am not a brony, I don't even understand them!" I hissed, "Just because I take a job doesn't mean I like it, believe me, I wish there was an alternative!"

Mary straightened her head, "So you don't like it, that's a shame, I thought you might start seeing the world through a brighter lens."

I sighed, "Heh...Not at that place, those nuts are keeping killer animatronics." I stated, "There's no way I would go back...Screw the pay!"

A moment of silence passed before Mary tilted her head, "Didn't you play Five Nights at Freddy's?"

I straightened when I heard that, "Yeah, come to think of it i'm detecting some similarities..." I stated silently.

Mary nodded, "So, what's the problem?" she asked, "Remember, you cleared up to night four without a death, all you have to do is apply that logic to this job, right?"

I blinked, "Your right...This should be easy money to me..." I stated, rubbing my chin in thought, "If I stop looking at them as ponies...They act just like the animatronics in the game!" I stated in revelation, stars and money signs in my eyes.

Mary straightened, a slight smile on her face, "See, it's not that bad."

A dark grin slowly stretched across my face as I recalled my 20/20/20/20 run on night seven, "No...It's not bad at all." I hissed, chuckling to myself, "I'll show those fucking ponies!" I exclaimed, slamming the door to my room shut in the process.

Mary stood in the hallway, a smug grin spreading across her face, "Fuhuhu...Ah, I set 'em up." she said quietly before walking away, "You'll see through clear eyes soon enough dear brother."

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><p>Well, that's chapter two, hope you enjoyed. :P<p>

From here on out i'll be uploading every week *Unless something prevents that* but I wanted to get this out because the last night was kind of a cliffhanger...

Anyway, see you next time. :3


	3. Chapter 3

I hesitantly pushed the doors open, finding myself coming in as everyone was leaving again. Inside I was greeted with a familiar sight, Samantha and Louis, the other employees were already on their way out.

I sighed as I approached them, "Hey, your back!" Samantha said with a smile, Louis just watched me with his usual expression.

I shrugged, "You say that like I had somewhere else to go..." I took my hat and jacket from her hands, apparently she knew I would be back...

I sighed as I saw them off and locked up, my eyebrow rose when I saw Louis sigh and hand Samantha ten dollars. On my way to the security room I noticed that the three ponies on the stage were watching me. I stopped and stared back at them, eventually shifting into a glare where I pointed at my eyes and then at them as if to say 'I'm watching you!'. I shut off the lights before making my way to my station, ready to get back to the terrifying job.

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><p>I had stared at the screen, watching them, when the phone started ringing again. Surely enough another message started playing, "Hey, you must've made it to day two, that's good!...Uh, I mean most people leave, i'm not implying that they die or anything." that voice stated, "Now, don't worry, I won't waste as much time this time around, be sure to watch those cameras, you know, to make sure everything's in the right place."<p>

I checked, although to my distaste Twilight was in the middle of the main room already, everything else seemed fine.

"Alright, so I feel I should warn you that the animatronics become more aggressive as the week goes on, well...I mean that they become more active..." The girl stated, "Just keep your eyes out and you should be fine, but keep a particularly close eye on Cloud Cove and Fluttershy, the animatronic Rainbow Dash will likely rush down the hallway if you don't give her enough attention, and Fluttershy is rather sneaky, if you forget that she's around she may sneak into your office and disable the buttons...Not the best thing for you..."

My eyes were now looking around, "Oh, that's fucking great!" I stated. It made sense though, Fluttershy didn't exactly strike me as aggressive, so shutting off my defenses seemed to be the more likely thing she'd...Wait, why would she want to disable my power...

A wave of paranoia washed over me, it was like the animatronics did in fact know I was human...But then why were they normal enough in the daytime!?

"G-Good ev-" Instinctively my hand swung to the right, smashing into the door button and cutting off the Rarity animatronic.

"It'll be a good evening once this night's over!" I stated.

I could hear the animatronic leave, I opened the door to see that Rarity was nowhere in sight. I sighed i relief, I looked back at the camera to see an animatronic, pink eye glowing in the darkness, the curtain at Cloud Cove was opened slightly. I could feel a chill run down my spine, but it was interrupted by the noise of animatronic footsteps, "H-Hello..."

I quickly shut the left door again, hitting the lights to reveal it was Fluttershy standing outside the window. The animatronic was mainly a yellowish color, her mane was pink and pushed to the left side of her head, her eyes were green, her mark was three pink-winged butterflies.

"Oh...Sorry..." She said quietly.

I growled to myself as I opened the door again, "Well this just got better..." I hissed, then my attention return to Cloud Cove...I gasped when I saw there was nothing there but the curtain was open, I could hear a noise in the right hall, I quickly sprung to my left, slamming into the button with my fist.

as the door slammed down I could hear a noise where something metal collided with the door, "N-Not cool!" a tomboyish voice shouted from the other side, I then watched as something flew past the window.

I sighed in relief as I brought the door back up, *Dear god...* I thought to myself, "Why does one of them have to be quick!?" I hissed.

The rest of the night was rather slow, after Twilight had opened the door to the backstage I didn't have to worry about her. Rarity was an occasional threat, popping up every now and again, making noise in the kitchen mostly. I managed to keep an eye on Rainbow Dash long enough to keep her in Cloud cove, her eyes were peering through the curtains. Fluttershy was basically hiding under a table in the main room...I wasn't sure where Pinkie Pie was, I hadn't even seen that animatronic out in the daylight...

...Wait...I'm forgetting somebody!

"Hey-Hey Ya'll!" a country-like, female voice exclaimed. I quickly turned around but was suddenly knocked to the floor, my attacker was AJ, "Yo-your not follow'in th-the rules there, bu-buddy!"

I gulped as I could hear animatronic movement and voices, I clinched my eyes shut as they grew closer, and for the first time in my life I prayed, *If there is a god out there, prove it, help me out here!* I begged in my mind, sweat rolling down my face...But then I heard a familiar buzz...Then silence...I slowly opened my eyes to see the animatronics frozen in place, staring at me...

Eventually they blinked, slowly leaving the room, the last being AJ, who had finally got off me. I watched as they slowly made their way to the stage, my breath coming out in ragged breaths.

Eventually I swiped the sweat from my head, "Dear god..." I hissed, "That was way too close..."

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><p>"So, you quitting again?" Samantha asked with a smug smile.<p>

I turned to face her and Louis, I stood in the doorway. I blinked a couple of times before shrugging, "They aren't that bad..." I groaned.

Louis's right eyebrow raised, "Come again?"

I shook my head, "I have nowhere else to go, besides, as long as I keep my eyes open it's pretty easy to stop them..." I stated, my voice slowly raising in my next sentence, "Applejack almost got me, I won't forget that any time soon...Next time i'm gonna slam that door right in her country face!" I declared, rather loudly before I left.

Louis blinked as Samantha started laughing, "Well at least he has goals." Louis said with a sigh.

Samantha chuckled, "Don't worry about it, he's got things under control."

Louis blinked, "Yeah...Hey, before his shift starts again tonight i'm gonna tell him about Pinkie, alright?"

Samantha stopped blinking as glanced at him, "huh, what for...She shouldn't be working for awhile now."

Louis sighed, "Because if we don't tell him he's as good as dead, remember what happened last time?" he stated, "Morgan kicked Pinkie because she got surprised, I almost ended up in the same boat...Let's not have that happen again."

Samantha blinked before nodding, "Sure, just don't tell him about...What happened to** her**..."

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><p>And that concludes chapter three, I hope you enjoyed it. :3<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

I pushed the door open, returning to Applejack's Barn. I blinked as a hand blocked my face almost immediately, Louis on the other side.

He blinked, "We need to talk." he stated with a blank tone, "Come with me."

I watched as he entered the main room, I followed him in as the kids, parents, and teens left. I watched as one guy nodded at me, leaving me wondering if nodding back was a sign of acceptance...

Anyhow, I followed him to a room labeled 'employee only'...I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine...In the room were shelves lined with animatronic suits, endoskeletal parts littered a corner, but more surprising was what I was staring at...

The Pinkie Pie animatronic was laid against the wall to my left, out of sight from the door...It's suit was cut open, it's endoskeleton was snapped into an odd position, hanging halfway out, and while it was clean...There was a dried pool of blood not to far away and drag marks.

I stared, shocked by the sight, "That's Pinkie Pie." Louis stated, "The last canon animatronic our boss put together, and the grave of the last person on night-shift...Morgan Vincent"

I blinked, shifting my gaze to him, "You mean...The girl that left those messages?" I asked, realizing what this could mean.

Louis nodded, a somber frown on his face, "Did you see her tail?"

*Her tail?* I wondered in confusion, I looked back to the Pinkie Pie animatronic, oddly enough it's tail seemed to be vibrating, "What...?"

Louis facepalmed in response to this, "You really don't know anything about these characters, do you?" he asked with a sigh, "When Pinkie's tail shakes it's a sign of something bad about to happen, if her tail is shaking now you need to be careful."

I blinked, "Hey...These animatronics, aren't...Alive, right?" I asked.

Louis looked at me, I wasn't able to read his expression...His eyes looked sad, but his face was as blank as ever, "These animatronics aren't perfect reproductions of the characters, they may act in similar manners in some aspects but their dialogue and behavior is far from perfect..."

I raised an eyebrow, "Why's that?"

Louis looked away, "It's probably because..." He blinked before shutting up...It looked like I wasn't getting anything else out of him tonight, "Look, you should know that this place isn't completely right...Something might pop up in your office, take you by surprise." he stated, "Just ignore it and it will go away...Don't damage it."

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><p>I sighed as my shift began, I starting looking through the cameras, letting the next message play, "Hey, third night! Your doing pretty good!" the voice said, but it sounded nervous, "Uh...Keep your eyes on the camera, something's wrong with the animatronics...T-They seem to be acting stranger than usual, and Pinkie's tail is twitching, that's not good..."<p>

I listened as I watched, I figured the best thing to do was flick the camera between Cloud Cove and the Main Stage...

I quickly shifted my attention to the halls, I hadn't heard anything...But I hadn't heard anything when Applejack had snuck into the room, I wasn't about to let that happen aga-"H-Hey there!" a called, coming from directly before me. I turned to see a familiar, pink pony in animatronic form, "H-Hey there, my name is P-Pinkie Pie, do y-you like p-parties-ies 'cause I lo-"

I stared in a mix of fear and confusion as the animatronic droned on, *Louis said to ignore it...* I could feel my right eye twitch as I got up and went back to doing my job, I could hear the robotic pony droning on, and on...My eyebrows twitching the whole time...Then there was silence...I looked over my shoulder, sighing in relief as I realized the animatronic was gone.

Unfortunately Rainbow's head was sticking out of the curtain, with as close to a smirk as an animatronic pony could have. Luckily enough Applejack was still on the stage, so I did't have to worry about that. Fluttershy was in the main room, so basically the only real threats have yet to close in on me.

As for Rarity and Twilight, they were in the hallways but not close enough for me to close the doors.

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><p>I sighed as I blocked Twilight...Again...By now they were becoming predictable...Twilight and Rarity showed under either at the beginning of the minute or the end. Fluttershy would try to sneak in either hallway, it was always around the halfway point of the minute...<p>

Oddly enough things seemed to be going quicker, Pinkie only showed up two times, the first time it was surprising but around the second I was used to something showing up without me wanting it to.

Applejack was still on stage, but now she was staring at the camera, "Heh...Not so fun being stuck in one place is it cowgirl?" I asked boredly, flickering through the screens, the only thing that didn't bore me was the image of twilight that flashed in one of the cameras, staring into the screen with pitch-black eyes, but I waved it off as I had already seen Bonnie doing the same thing before. I looked in the halls, they were vacant, *Maybe this job's not as bad as I thought...It's pretty creepy but it's getting a little easier now that I know what to expect...

From what I could tell, each night increased the chance that Rarity or Twilight would show up within a minute, however, the amount of time it took for them to leave was random. Rarity would only approach from the right hallway, Twilight approached from the left, Flutters would come from the left, Rainbow came from the right...Pinkie just randomly appeared, I didn't understand that one but I guess it fit her character...As for Applejack, I still had no idea, after last night's encounter I wasn't about to let her move again.

Apparently they couldn't move when I was watching them through the security cameras...Well, Rainbow and AJ at least...The others could, but it did stall them temporarily.

Eventually I slumped in my seat as the bell rang, my shift was over and the animatronics were retreating to their spots, I stared back as I watched Rainbow glare at the camera as she drew back.

I chuckled, "Oh, i'm sooo scared..." I stated with a smug grin.

I got up and made my way down the right hallway, looking the scene over...Everyone on stage was back in their places, Rainbow was behind her curtain, and Fluttershy was 'napping' in the far corner next to the stage, I had a pretty good idea where Pinkie was...I shrugged as I met Louis and Samantha at the door, I exchanged a handshake with Samantha and high-fived Louis as I made my way outside, tossing Louis the keys for lock up as I did.

Louis blinked, "Well, looks like he's getting used to things nicely." he stated, a slight smile on his face.

Samantha grinned, "Yup, makes you hope he sticks around after he gets paid, don't it?

* * *

><p>I had just arrived home, as usual Mom was out doing whatever she does, the place would have felt desolate if it wasn't for the fact Mary got up at ridiculously early hours...<p>

She looked at me from the couch in the living room, "So, how was the job?"

I shrugged, "Eh...I'm getting used to it...It's almost kind of boring now that i've compared it to a point and click game." not sure why i'm disappointed, I mean i'm alive, right?

Mary raised an eyebrow, "Are you saying that ponies are becoming normal to you?"

I blinked numerous times before starting up the stairs, "Not in one-million years..." I stated dryly.

Mary was let sitting on the couch, she tilted her head, "Hmm...Well, that's better than never I guess..."

* * *

><p>Chapter four done, and thus ends night three! :D<p>

See you in the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

I had given some time to think after I got some rest...I wouldn't need to be at work until ten, so I still had...five hours to wait.

I yawned as I stared out the window to look over my boring side of town, slightly wishing that we had somewhere interesting like...I blinked in confusion, "I guess that place is starting to grow on me..." I stated, scratching my sideburns, "Heh...It does make me wonder though...Why are they doing what their doing?"

Eventually the silence became too much, I walked over to my desk and turned the computer on, eventually loading up YouTube and looking at my inbox to see an animated video featuring animatronic versions of the Mane Six.

I chuckled, "Oh, so now they've decided to follow me home..." I said in a deadpan tone, "Well, at least it's just a video."

I opened the door, but normally this time around. I watched as the kids, their parents, and the teenagers left...I wasn't exactly taken aback by it anymore, but I still wasn't about to watch the actual series.

* * *

><p>"Hey." I looked over to see Louis waving at me, I quickly walked over to him, "So, you getting used to things?" he asked.<p>

I blinked before nodding, "Yeah, it's not as scary as the first day." I stated, my hands in my pockets.

Louis smiled, "Never is." He leaned against the wall, "I'm on the day-shift, but at one point I worked nights..." he stated, "I've worked night shift for about six weeks, and I fill the spot when we need it, once you get into the groove of things it gets easier."

I smiled back, "Well, that's good to hear." I stated, "So why did you come back, I mean I kept coming back just because i'm broke and hold a grudge, what's your story?" it was pretty nice having an actual conversation with the guy, this is the longest i've been able to get the guy speaking.

Louis hummed, "My brother came to me with the flier for the job, asked me if I could help fill in for him." he stated, "I didn't have a problem with it, so I filled in for him on the day-shift and heard there was an opening or night-shift. I was pretty scared at first, but as I got used to it it got easier...Before I knew it I was the expert, I had to fill in for Morgan after...Well, you know." he stated in a quiet tone.

I nodded, "Yeah..." I followed him on the way out, Samantha was already gone by now. I watched as he left, "Hey, have a safe trip!" I shouted to him.

Louis waved without looking back at me, "I'll be safer than you will." he called back.

I blinked as he got into his car and drove off, after all traces of life were gone from the lot I shut the doors, ready to lock them. I was about to when I heard a noise, when I looked back up I saw a little girl, running, "H-HELP!" she screamed.

The girl was at least thirteen, she had short, blond hair, bright, hazel eyes, and white skin, she wore a blue dress, ending in a dark blue skirt, finally she wore a pair of black shoes.

The girl ran up to the door, likely because she saw me standing in it, "Help, please!" she shouted.

I blinked as I opened the door, not sure what to make of the situation until I saw a dark figure turning the corner. My eyes widened as I let the girl in and locked the door, I hastefully pulled her into the main room and noticed the clock, *Shit! It's 11:50!* I hissed in my thoughts, "Kid, get to that room down those halls and hit both of the buttons that say 'door', I have to turn the lights out before twelve!"

The girl was frozen until I nudged her slightly, "O-Okay!" with that she ran down the right hall, I sighed in relief as I ran to the employee-only room, *Alright, shut off power, get back to the girl, and survive the night!*

I hastefully maneuvered around the table, approaching the fuse box and pulling the lever down, cutting the power. I sighed with a shaky breath as I was about to run back out the door, I stopped when I heard the glass break from outside.

I bit my lip and stumbled backwards, *Fuck, he broke in!* before I knew it I found myself listening to the sound of footsteps, *What do I do now?*

"Hey, I know your in here!" a male voice shouted, "Come on, we can talk this out..."

I could feel my body shaking, this guy may be armed...But he was getting between me and where I needed to be before 'they' activated.

That's when I felt my hand run across a metallic surface, I blinked...It was an animatronic limb...

...Well, it was either get killed by animatronic ponies or get killed by a creep...

I picked the limb off the table that was literally covered in spare animatronic parts, I slowly crept to the door, opening it very slowly...I could see the light from a flashlight looking around.

* * *

><p>(P.O.V. Change)<p>

I had ran into the room like the man had told me to, I had hit the buttons like he told me to...Now I was waiting...

I wanted the man to come back, but he still wasn't here, *W-What do I do now?* I wondered to myself.

I hadn't noticed something was in the room with me until a pink mane entered the corner of my vision, I turned my head to see the Pinkie Pie animatronic...She had a pink body with a darker pink mane, light blue eyes, and three balloons for a mark.

I jumped when I realized she hadn't been there before, "H-H-Hey there! My name's P-Pinkie Pie!" it stated in an animatronic voice.

I stared at the animatronic, it stared at me blankly, "H-Hi..." I stammered.

The Pinkie animatronic stood slightly, pulling me into a hug, "D-Don't worry Silly Billy, we won't let the b-bad man hu-hurt you!"

I blinked, hugging the animatronic back.

Pinkie turned her head to look at the monitor, which suddenly turned on to reveal the image of Gamble sneaking up on the intruder. He slowly increased his pace before striking the man, causing him to lose his flashlight, the man stumbled as he spun to face his attacker, the night guard in question looked for a way around, looking to dash for the security room.

The intruder slashed at the air, trying desperately to cut his attacker in the shadows, eventually he had managed to stab Gamble in the stomach. Gamble grunted as he grabbed the man's wrist and punched him in the face, causing the man to lose his knife.

Gamble pulled the knife out of his stomach and stumbled back to the employee-only room, clutching the wound as the man moved for his flashlight. It was now 11:58, the Pinkie animatronic blinked as her animatronic friends opened their eyes, however they weren't glowing yet.

The intruder picked up the flashlight and the animatronic limb, tracking the blood with the light, he snarled as he pursued the wounded guard...

Not long afterwards the man emerged from the door with his knife, he moved towards the security office, causing Pinkie to pull me under the table and cover my mouth.

The man came to the door and looked around, "I know that your in there girl...Your friends not here to help you anymore..." he stated, "Be a good girl and open that door, now!" he snarled.

I shivered, I watched the animatronic pony who was staring at the clock...

...12:00...

* * *

><p>(P.O.V. Change)<p>

One by one the animatronic ponies activated, but something was different...Their eyes were bloodshot, an angered expression as they all began moving towards a singular target.

Applejack led the group, their eyes weren't glowing, not yet, "Hey, I said open that door!" the man shouted, banging on the door, "I'll fucking kill you if-"

"Wow there, P-Partner!" Applejack's animatronic voice exclaimed, startling the intruder, "Y-Your not followin' th-the r-rules!"

The man's eyes widened as he shined his light over the five angry animatronics, all of them but Applejack had bloodshot eyes, Applejack herself had pitch black eyes, "T-The fuck!?" he shouted as he stumbled back.

The animatronics slowly closed in on him until he made a sudden break for it, he almost made it out of the hallway until Rainbow Dash slammed into his back at full speed, throwing him across the floor, landing him in front of the employee-only door.

The man rubbed his head as he looked up, the glowing eyes of the five animatronics surrounded him staring angrily at him. He crawled backwards, but something blocked him at the door, causing the animatronics to stop, they looked up.

The man slowly turned his head, sweat rolling down his face. What he and the animatronic ponies saw was an endoskeleton without it's costume, behind it was the Pinkie animatronic, but it's mane was straightened...Not a good sign...she grinned at him with sharp, knife-like teeth.

But the more concerning thing was the endoskeleton, standing over the man like a bad omen, "Ki-killer..." the raspy, mechanic voice hissed, it's hazel, animatronic eyes staring straight into his soul, "...Y-Your not allowed here...T-Time to clear h-house..."

The man screamed as the voice took a demonic undertone, he didn't have a chance to run as the animatronic jaws closed onto his head, biting out a majority of his skull.

The endoskeleton froze in place as the other animatronics looked at it, almost surprised.

It blinked, light returning to it's eyes before it trotted back to the corner that Gamble's body was in, stopping next to it and becoming inactive there, not watching as the Pinkamena animatronic bite into the man's jacket, dragging the body into the employee-only room.

Eventually the other animatronics returned to their stations, apparently not hostile towards the girl trapped inside with them.

* * *

><p>Samantha and Louis stood in the back room, staring down at Gamble's body with sullen expressions.<p>

Samantha sighed, "...Sorry Mr. Gamble..." she stated, "I guess this wasn't your night..."

Louis looked at the corpse of the man that had broken in according to the girl that was still in the office, both of them had almost puked the first time they had seen it...Then he looked towards the pony endoskeleton, a mare model since there were no colt models...

He blinked, staring at the disfigured chunk of flesh in it's mouth, blood staining it's steel, "Hey, I think we found our killer..." he stated, "Given it's behavior...I'm guessing that Gamble held a grudge."

Samantha looked at the guard, eventually nodding, "These blank models shouldn't have eye colors...And this one has hazel eyes...Like his." she stated, "I would have to assume that somehow he's haunting it, especially since it didn't have any programming against...That." she stated, glancing at the corpse.

Louis nodded, "Yeah...What should we do now?"

Samantha sighed, "We have no choice, report the bodies, the company can't be held responsible." she stated as she left, "Oh, and hide Gamble, if anyone sees it with the man's face in it's jaws the story will change real quick."

Louis hesitantly nodded before looking at the endoskeletal pony, eventually crouching next to it, "Don't worry, I know you did a good thing..."

* * *

><p>Yup, that happened. :P<p>

Is this the end of Gamble's story? Who can tell, but even if it were the end of him there would be somebody to replace him. :3


	6. Chapter 6

The second my eyes opened there was an audible gasp of surprise, the girl that was working on my endoskeleton had jumped back. She had short, black hair, her eyes were a dark brown, her skin was slightly tanned, she wore a black, long sleeved shirt under her dark blue overalls, a pair of thin, orange gloves covered her hands, and a pair of black boots covered her feet.

"Fuck!" she shouted, "I hate it when they do that!"

The woman next to the table I was on chuckled to herself, "Come on, when your working on something like this it's bound to open it's eyes whether you like it or not."

The woman had long, blond hair, but most of it was tucked into her shirt, her blue eyes looked...Mischievous, her skin was white, she wore a blue suit of some kind, more than likely to keep oil and grease off her clothes, was wasn't wearing gloves but she was wearing boots, leather ones.

The girl glared at the woman, "I don't like it when things suddenly happen, Ashley!" she stated seriously, "Besides, I didn't think they would be adding another pony..."

The woman shook her head, "What does that have to do with you getting surprised by it?" The girl tried thinking of how to explain it but was cut off, "Come on Jenny, the sooner we finish messing around with it the sooner you can calm down.

I blinked as the two returned to what they were doing...I couldn't feel any of it, so I guess I really was a robot now, I had no sense of 'feel' I just knew that I did...As for vision, it was like looking through a security camera...

"So, Ashley," Jenny started as she opened something in my 'ribs', "Why're they adding another pony now, I thought they were waiting for when the bigger place was built."

*Bigger place?* I wondered to myself, the only thing I could think about was that construction site that was directly across from Applejack's Barn...Were they expanding?

Ashley shrugged, "I dunno, I heard this was supposed to be a tribute addition to the guy that died protecting that girl." she stated with uncertainty.

Her student raised an eyebrow, "Oh, yeah I heard about that!" she exclaimed, "But, if this is a tribute for that 'guy' why is his tribute a 'mare'?"

Ashley sighed, "Didn't I tell ya? When they started ordering the endoskeletons something screwed up and the additional colt models got replaced with more mare models, we were supposed to get the whole Apple Family, but thanks to that little mix up we were only able to go with the Mane Six." she explained, "Their probably just choosing the cheapest way to say 'Hey, this guy died fighting the murderer, let's just make a pony for him to give us a better image.'."

Jenny chuckled, "Cheap bastards."

After awhile they stood up, both working together to lift me off the table and put me on my feet. Ashley looked down at me, "Alright, so we gotta make sure you can move like the others, so move around and report any problems."

I blinked as my gaze shifted forward, I started walking about, trying to get a eel for my new legs...Oddly enough I wasn't struggling despite the new movement style, probably being assisted by programming.

Jenny looked at Ashley, "Hey, why didn't they just modify mare models into colt models?" she asked, "I mean it's not like their short on parts, they could probably recreate the Mane Six about seven times with the spare amounts of endoskeletons and parts they got."

Ashley shook her head, "But then they'd need to purchase new vocal chips for male voices, then we'd have to take apart their endoskeletal faces to elongate the muzzle and...You know, more work, more pay." she stated.

Jenny huffed, "Dammit, they really are cheap bastards!" she realized that this effected her pay as well.

Ashley shrugged, "What do you expect, restaurant lines are cut-throat businesses." she stated nonchalantly, "So, what about that receiver and what not you installed in it's head, why was it so bulky?"

Jenny thought on it, "It's probably so that it can act as a mobile camera, I had to hook it up to it's eyes and processor so i'd imagine it takes the visual feed from it's eyes and sends it to the security monitors."

Ashley shivered, "Huh...Kinda makes me glad the place is closed for awhile, otherwise we might have some explaining to do."

I walked back to them, ready to report, "No difficulties." a female voice stated, it was quiet, and as expected from a machine it had next to no tone.

Ashley nodded, "See, it's good." she stated.

Jenny sighed, "Yeah yeah...Hey, Ashley..." she started, "You know, they had to shut down for the week because they can't find that man's face...And that the investigation's only still going on because the only thing that could have done the damage to the man's face was an endoskeleton, right?"

Ashley blinked, "Uh...I don't think your getting somewhere, dear." she stated, "If this were the endoskeleton responsible they'd have probably scrapped it, I doubt they'd keep something so dangerous around."

Jenny blinked, "Yeah...I guess your right."

With this the two decided to shut me off, returning me to sleep mode.

* * *

><p>My eyes opened, I looked around to find myself in a familiar room, but this time Jenny was gone, replaced by another woman. She had long, brown hair, blue eyes, and pale skin, and she wore a Black jacket, a white shirt, a dark blue skirt, and black boots.<p>

I blinked as I looked up at them, "So, what do you think?" the new woman asked Ashley, showing her a drawing, "Does her costume fit the design Louis sent me?"

Ashley looked it over, "Yeah Kim, looks just like it."

Kim smiled as she put it away, I looked down, raising my hoof to see I now had a costume on...I could kinda tell because of the eye-holes in the suit, but now I could tell I had white 'fur'.

Kim clapped her hands together, "That's great, I had to work on it so suddenly that I wasn't sure if it came out right!"

Ashley blinked, eventually looking back at me, "Well, maybe you could help me test it's analysis abilities." Kim blinked before looking down at me, "Show it the drawing and ask what it is."

Kim nodded, taking the drawing back out and holding it out in front of me, "Alright, what is this deary?"

I blinked as my eyes scanned the paper, it was just now that I noticed the grid-lines. The image on the paper was a pony with a mainly white body with purple spots that randomly dot her coat, eventually completely covering her legs, she had a brown mane that was pushed over to the left, ending in triangular cuts, it had hazel eyes, and a mark that consisted of a skull with the ace of spades for eyes.

I paused for a moment, "This is me?" I asked, still not used to my new voice...Or life in general.

Kim nodded, "Yes deary, this is the design that Louis sent to me for you."

Ashley blinked, "Alright, it looks like everything checks out...Now we just gotta shut her off and wait until AJ's Barn is in the clear."

And again, i've been turned off...

* * *

><p>I sighed inwardly as I was marched into the building by Ashley, from the looks of things there weren't as many people here today.<p>

Before I knew it I say Louis approaching us from the main room, he met up with us quickly, "Hey Louis, I brought Gamble back." she stated, listening to the sound of the animatronic ponies singing in the main room.

Louis nodded, "Good, is she working right?" he asked, shifting his gaze to me.

"Yeah, she's operating fine now that the programs have been installed, but she's still a little twitchy compared to the other models." Ashley stated, "So, what're you planning for her since all the other jobs are taken by the Mane Six?"

Louis blinked, "I guess you could say she's not meant for interaction with the public, it's like you said, she's twitchy..." he stated, "That's why I had that receiver installed in her head, so she could give us another angle..."

Ashley sighed, "Yeah, I gathered that much..." she turned to face the door, "Keep an eye on this one, Gamble's your responsibility now."

I blinked as I watched her leave, then I turned to face Louis, I noticed him put something on my head, "Congrats Gamble, your rehired." he stated.

I blinked, "Re-Reporting for d-duty." I stated with my new voice, and just like the others it glitched ever so slightly...

So this is my life now?...Well, it beats being bored...

* * *

><p>Not Gamble's day, huh? Or is it? Who knows. :3<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

I sighed to myself, tilting my head to the right to keep a kid from taking the security guard hat from my head, *Great, kids are just as annoying to me in death as they were in life...*

"Come on, I gotta wear it as part of a dare!" the kid shouted, trying to reach for it, jumping slightly.

Louis sighed as he watched this scene unfold, "Mama, please ask your son to keep away from Gamble, she's not an entertainment animatronic, she has a job to do."

The woman sighed, "Okay, deary, leave the pony alone, she's apart of the staff."

The child grumbled as they were pulled away, I was smiling on the inside since it was hard to do outside.

Louis nodded at me and I continued walking around, listening to the conversations, "That's a weak tribute." a teenager said, "That guy died saving a little girl, Gamble should be a pegasus or a unicorn at least, not just an earth pony."

Internally I groaned, I honestly could care less as long as I was still 'alive', "I heard that she was named after the guy, so Gamble is based on Gamble...Isn't that kind of odd?" the boy's friend asked, "And what is that cutie mark even about, a skull with a spade on it?"

I ignored them as I passed their table, *Well excuse me if I don't fit into your magical world, if you don't like me then just ignore me." I thought to myself, wishing it were that simple.

"I don't know, I kind of like it." she guy said, "She's also the first pony i've seen with a skull for a mark."

...Maybe they aren't all annoying.

* * *

><p>I watched as the people slowly began to leave, I then watched as a new face came in...A man, he wasn't dressed particularly different but I felt as though this was important.<p>

The man had shoulder-length, faded blond hair, his eyes were a tealish color, his skin was tanned slightly, he wore a black, sleeveless shirt, blue jeans, and white shoes.

The man strolled in, walking past me, he looked confused as he looked me over, "Huh, that's a new one..." he shrugged before his attention was drawn to Samantha, who waved him over, "Hey, i'm here for the job!"

I blinked, *I get it...My replacement...* I thought. I looked over at the other animatronics, they were staring at him...*Which means he's going to be targeted...*

Louis leaned against the wall, looking at the man, "Greetings Mr. White, thank you for taking the job." Samantha said as they shook hands, "Mr. Louis here will be showing you what you need to do, if you'll excuse me."

I watched Samantha as she left, but soon my attention was brought to the animatronics that were now staring at me now that we were alone...Their eyes were pitch black, just as they had been before...

I stared back, unsure of their intention, "I-It's not pol-polite to s-stare." I announced, gauging their reactions.

Oddly enough they continued to stare at me until Louis and 'White' came back, Louis gave me a nod as he passed. I watched as Louis left and White closed the door, locking it, and then left for the employee only room to shut off the lights.

As he left for his office, flashlight in hand, my gaze shifted to the clock...

11:50...

I watched as the other animatronics opened their eyes, not yet ready to begin their games...I watched and waited until finally I saw one of the security cameras move in the darkness, my vision had swapped to the night vision that had been installed into the cameras in my eyes.

I watched as the Twilight animatronic's eyes turned on, she looked at the cameras before walking off the stage.

*Should I stop them...It's not like i'm programmed to...* I wondered to myself, *Would I even be able to stop them? I'm outnumbered, i'd probably just get busted up...*

What I hadn't expected was the animatronic to walk over to me and sit down in front of me...Her eyes were pitch black as she stared into mine, I wasn't entirely sure what she was trying to accomplish, accept to maybe distract me.

"H-Hello, my name is Tw-Twilight Sparkle." She stated. There was a pause, I blinked once to show I wasn't sure what was going on, "What i-is your name?" the twitchy animatronic asked.

Oddly enough I had the urge to answer, "My-My name i-i-is Gamble Daywatch." I responded, going solely off my programming.

The twilight animatronic's eyes returned to normal, "I-It's nice to me-meet you Gamble, we-welcome to Ap-Applejack's Barn." she said, "I-It's a pleasure to me-meet you."

I watched in confusion as the oddly social animatronic Twilight got up and started walking around, freezing once the camera to the main room locked onto her, causing her to stop and look at it.

*...Well that's odd.* I slowly stood up, but my legs refused to move. My gaze shifted to the entrance, *It doesn't look like anyone's going to break in, maybe I should be sit somewhere that let's me see the blind spots next to the office, I mean that's probably what the cameras in my eyes were installed for.*

I was about to do that when I saw Applejack's and Rarity's eyes light up, both of them left the stage, Applejack sprinted across the main room and froze in the left hallway, Rarity had moved towards the kitchen.

I blinked as I moved to watch, I watched as AJ got further down the hallway, knowing full well that she was trying to get into the room while he was focusing elsewhere. I then watched as she was stopped by the door, I didn't know it but apparently my eye cameras had been used to see her.

Applejack's head turned to look at me, her expression was blank but she probably knew that it was my fault she got stopped. She made her way over to me and stood in front of me, her head tilting slightly, "H-Howdy there, i'm Ap-applejack, we-welcome to the Family B-Barn!"

I blinked, not entirely sure what to make of this...I guess they were programmed to introduce themselves to animatronics they weren't familiar with, "I-I'm Gamble D-Daywatch, it's nice to me-meet you."

A silence fell over us, I guess she was blocking my view of the hallways...

"AaaaaH!" a man screamed, I felt the subconscious urge to investigate...I and the Applejack animatronic moved to view the right hallway, Rarity was dragging a...Endoskeleton?

Applejack broke away and moved to join Rarity, I then noticed all the others doing the same...But, what was screaming then?

Rainbow dash emerged from her curtain, she had a blue coat, a rainbow colored mane, glowing pink eyes, her mark was a cloud with a multi-colored lightning bolt, but the most noticeable thing were a pair of animatronic wings...This was my first time seeing her outside the curtain, and much to my surprise she could actually fly with her wings...Well, slightly...

I watched as Rainbow bit into his right pants leg, Rarity bit his left, Twilight bit his right wrist, Pinkie, who was back to being capable of functioning, bit his left wrist, and Applejack slid underneath him as the others lifted him up, placing him on her back...

Wait...Why did an endoskeleton have clothes on...Wait, that's gotta be the security guard...Why don't I want to stop them, that isn't an endoskeleton.

Fluttershy just stood away, watching this like me, as the others started carrying him towards the employee-only room. The endosk-man was struggling, trying his best to get out of his current situation, "No, let go of me!"

The five animatronics froze, Applejack was getting annoyed by the struggling man on her back, "H-Hey ya'll, knock it o-off back there!" she drew back, before I could fully analyze the situation she had bucked him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious, "Th-That's better, n-now hold on, we-we'll help you get dressed b-bud!"

I watched as they carried the now unconscious man to the back room, unable to bring myself to stop this...Something was holding me back, making me think this was normal, that the man was an endoskeleton...

What was going on...

Before I could ask myself more pointless questions I heard screaming, it was obviously someone in a lot of pain as a group of ponies bent and broke him to his 'new shape'...My gaze drifted to the Fluttershy animatronic, which was staring at me.

"I-I'm so-sorry..." she said, looking away before wandering back to her corner.

I blinked as the screaming stopped...The new security guard didn't make it...

* * *

><p>Another chapter, I hope your enjoying it so far. :3<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

It has been a month or two since I first arrived, Louis was still around, not surprising, but there were few guards that survived their week on contract.

The place outside was relatively built, I could see the building from my spot just outside the main room...I think the reason it wasn't done yet was that they were still moving stuff around, seeing as they had turned a parts factory into a larger AJ's Barn it wasn't too surprising...

I could hear the ponies preforming for a party that was going on, I shifted my gaze into the main room, I wasn't really noticed much since people weren't allowed to interact with me...You could say that I just faded into the background.

I wasn't alone though, Rainbow Dash was doing the same thing, we had known that something was going to happen today, we had known from something a guard was saying as he left, *I'll show them how 'safe' this place is, I swear that i'll get this place shut down!* I recalled in my head, I was scanning the crowd for the man when I and Rainbow locked eyes for a moment, we exchanged a nod as I moved into the main room.

The man was in here, hiding among the parents, working up his courage to become a killer...To make us look like killers.

I was about to move closer to the group when there was a flash of silver in the crowd, as if on cue this signaled Rainbow to jump across the table, surprising basically everyone, "Murder is s-so not cool!" she shouted as the man was knocked to the ground, his gun slid across the floor.

The band stopped as the man tried to get up, "Dammit!" he shouted, ready to run for it.

Before he could get on his feet Rainbow tackled him again, sending him sliding over to me. I looked down at him, "Y-You shouldn't h-have done that..." I said.

"D-Do me a favor and t-teach that j-jerk a lesson, Gamble." The Applejack animatronic asked, I think the other animatronics were used to me by this point.

I could feel my eyes turn black, "G-Gladly..." I bit into the man's collar, lifting my head, causing him to bash his face against the nearby table. I turned, releasing him, throwing him away from the group, the man quickly tried to get up but was tackled in the side by me, slamming him against the wall.

As the man lay on the floor, groaning from the pain, the day-shit guards finally got out here, running to the man and pinning him, Louis followed up with a pair of cuffs, "Sir, you've got some explaining to do to the cops." he stated, clearly not amused, I could see Samantha smiling down the hallway at the scene.

Her smile was always unsettling but I was used to it by now...I knew why she kept me around...If a living security guard were to rough up a criminal then the Pizzeria could be held responsible, but when an animatronic did it they just assume it's because of a misunderstanding in programming...

I could hear people cheering me and Dash on, it was like we were heroes or something...But they didn't know what they were like at night, and I couldn't even stop it...

"Th-Thanks you two, that'll teach th-that no-gooder!" Applejack said, "Alright everypony, le-let's get back to the s-song!"

I blinked as I ignored the praise I was receiving, the band got back to work and Rainbow got back on stage, giving me the closest thing to a smile an animatronic could.

I walked back to my place, taking this scene in...I knew that this couldn't last long...

* * *

><p>I watched...Another day...Watching...This was my job...It was all I was allowed to do...<p>

I could feel the devices inside me twitching, I was bored...There was next to nothing for me to do, I know that it came with the job but...I was still 'alive' but I couldn't do anything, all because of my programming...

It was a slow day at AJ's today, almost nothing was happening.

I watched as the group preformed, until I noticed something I hadn't before, a man entered the building...A man with a thick, black coat...

The events seemed to play in slow motion, he walked into the cent of the group and pulled a child up by the hair, holding him hostage. The child flailed in the man's grip, trying to get his attacker to let go.

I couldn't hear any of it...I just sat there...My ego conflicting with my programming, I couldn't decide what to do...

The guards tried talking the man down as my head started twitching, I could feel sparks flinging from my neck as my head jerked violently. I felt my eyes turn black as the man pulled the trigger, he had been pushed by one of the teenagers...The other animatronics began leaving their stages, angered expressions on their faces.

The man tried shooting at them but found it was ineffective, the guards tried to stop the ponies but found it impossible...Then Rainbow looked at me...I was familiar with the routine by now.

The tackled the man to the ground, pinning him down for me.

I slowly got up and walked towards the man, all I had to do was stomp on him a little with my hooves...But why should I, this man just blew a kid's brains out...I could feel the hostility the other animatronics had towards this man...Their egos were replaced with their fake personalities...

They couldn't do what they wanted, that's why they need me...Without me they can't lay a finger on people...

As I got closer I could see Louis moving to stop me, he knew something was wrong because I had been acting up all week...I could feel them all looking at me expectantly...

I lowered my face, staring down at the man, "K-Ki-Killer..." I hissed, "Y-You shouldn't have d-done that..."

...It happened...

I watched through my own eyes as I repeated the same thing I had done the first night I had become an animatronic...I bit him, taking his face clean off in front of everyone...

There was a moment of silence before the screams erupted, guards quickly tried to calm everyone but failed to as they ran outside...All except for one little girl...I recognized her blond hair...

She was the one that got to live while I had to die.

I watched her, staring back at me with a blank expression, not horrified by my previous actions...She just stared at me as everyone else scrambled...

She was the last thing my consciousness registered before Samantha initiated the forced shutdown sequence...

* * *

><p>I watched as Samantha paced back and forth, steaming with anger, "Dammit, I knew it was a mistake to let that thing have free thought!" she shouted.<p>

Louis was looking down, it was technically his fault I was able to act how I wanted, "I'm sorry, I didn't think that she'd react like that...But, I don't think it's her fault."

Samantha glared at him, "Oh, then tell me, who's fault is this!?"

Louis looked away before walking over to me, he lifted the costume around my neck to reveal some kind of device, "This...Somebody has been tampering with the animatronics..." he stated.

Samantha's expression turned into a type of angry curiousness, "What...What is this!?"

Louis shook his head, "A transmitter, I found these on the necks of all the animatronics, but I couldn't tell if it was anything to worry about." He pried the device from my neck, creating sparks as it ripped out cables, "Somebody's trying to sabotage us..."

Samantha hissed as she took the device from his fingers, "How did this get there, who's been messing with my business!?"

Louis blinked before looking at her, "The only people allowed to work on them are Ashley and Jenny...You don't thi-"

Samantha hissed, "I'm gathering everyone under our employ, I will get to the bottom of this!"

I watched as they left...I was left on one of the tables, I couldn't move...I was left in pieces...

Left to wait and see if I was going to be forgiven...


	9. Chapter 9

It was a quiet day, I was starting up a new job today...It was at Applejack's Barn, a place I thought had been closed for years...As it turns out they had been building a larger version of the place across the street from the old place.

My name is Henry Sedrick, I just got out of college, and what do I have to show for it?...I get to work a night-shift at a Pizzeria that sells apples on the side, crawling with animatronic ponies...I suppose that most would look at me funny, but the thing is I had little in the way of options...

I was presently walking towards the place, I could see the large, barn-like structure, but it was in no way made of would, if you looked close enough you could see the way the paint gleams...

I could see a girl with long blonde hair, bright hazel eyes, and white skin, she wore a black, winter jacket to protect herself from the cold wind that was blowing, she saw a long, blue skirt, and black boots.

The girl huffed in annoyance as she walked out of the establishment, "Dammit...That's no way to treat Gamble..." she hissed.

I watched as she marched off in annoyance, not sure why a high school student would even bother coming here, let alone leaving in an annoyed fashion.

As I drew closer to the building I shook off the thoughts, pushing the doors open and taking in the scenery. there was a counter and a waiting area in this spot, there were bathrooms to the left and a hallway leading to the main hall.

There was a man waiting, his arms crossed. He had darker skin, messy, black hair with red high lights, his dark, grey eyes scanned me from the second I entered, he wore a dark blue track suit, on his chest was a tag 'Louis Barton: Day-Shift', baggy, black pants, and black shoes.

The man walked up to me, I just realized that he was at least two feet taller than me, "You must be the new guy, Henry Sedrick, I was told exactly who to look out for so I know it's you."

I blinked, a little taken aback, "Uh, yeah..."

The man nudged towards the hall, "I'll give you the tour, you need to learn this place before you start working."

I blinked before following.

* * *

><p>I found myself in the main room, there were several benches in a barn-like setting, beams crossed overhead, and there was two stages. I saw the main group, the six main characters, hanging around on the main stage, looking down with closed eyes.<p>

I then looked to the second stage, there was a DJ-like platform on it, standing behind it was another mechanical pony. She had a white coat, blue and dark blue hair...Sunglasses? A horn, and a music note for a mark, I think this one was called Vinyl Scratch?

I looked around as Louis glanced at me, "This is the main room, here you will find the Mane Six and Vinyl Scratch, the DJ that assists the three programmed mainly to sing." he stated, "This is the room that will mainly be used, most people will come here since the other spots aren't that relevant to the general visitors."

I blinked, "What's up with Vinyl's feet?" I had just noticed that her back legs seemed to be bolted to the floor.

Louis blinked, "Oh, that...Vinyl's a little more...Free than the others, without restriction I doubt we could keep her still." he stated, "To be honest, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow are not going to be in this room once everything gets back together."

* * *

><p>I followed Louis again, we now entered another room, it was labelled 'Party Room'...<p>

This place was open, there were a few tables but there was plenty of room for the kids to run around...But most striking was a stand...It was rather large and had a curtain covering the front of it...

Louis must've seen me staring at it, "This is the party room, here is where Pinkie and Flutters will be moved to, it is also the home of...Gamble Daywatch..." he stated.

I blinked as he walked over to the side, I walked over as he opened it...What I saw inside made me step backwards, my eyes widening a little...The animatronic pony was standing like the others, but most of it's costume was removed, revealing all of the endoskeleton of the main body, attached to it's back was a more...Clothed version of the lower half, even had another security hat for it, but replacing it's 'hands' were two ponies that were apparently 'hand puppets', but the worst part, the main body's lower jaw seemed to be removed...

Louis shook his head, "Gamble's seen better days...She has a secondary body for the puppet show that she's in charge of, giving her four heads, each with security scanners in their eyes..." he stated, "Ever since the...Incident, the decision was made to have the lower jaw of her main body removed, it's the only one capable of...Biting."

There was a moment of silence before he cleared his throat, "Uh, yeah, let's just move on." I stated, not liking the abomination before me.

* * *

><p>I was ow standing in the 'Galloping Gallows'...Which was apparently an added hall of display animatronics, the only two models I recognized were Celestia and Luna.<p>

Louis cleared his throat, "This is the Galloping Gallows, here is where we store the more 'prized' animatronics...Such as Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor...You get the picture." he stated, "They have programming but don't become active unless approached...Or...At night." he added, coughing slightly.

I raised my eyebrow, "What do you mean, at night?"

Louis shook his head, "It's part of their programming, the animatronics are programmed to patrol the halls, it makes keeping this place secure...Easier..."

* * *

><p>We now arrived in what I assume was the final room, it was labeled 'Sugar Cube Corner'...There were several plushies and such lining the walls and a counter filled with sweets and such, like muffins.<p>

I whistled, "So, I guess this is where the kids come when they don't listen to dentists?"

Louis chuckled, "You could say that, this is Sugar Cube Corner, it's basically a gift shop." he stated, "There's only one animatronic here..." he said quietly, he didn't look happy about it either, "She's called Queen Chrysalis."

I blinked, looking around, "Huh...I don't see an animatronic." I stated.

Louis nodded, "It'd be a problem if you did..." he stated, "Due to...Technical bugs...She's being stored in the lower levels, the factory site."

I blinked again, "Factory Site?"

Louis nodded, "Yes, this place was built over a parts factory, it's still running down below in the darkness, just in case we need to fix something."

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense, but why keep a buggy animatronic there?"

Louis looked away, "So that we don't have to move her too far...Anyway, that's the tour." he stated, looking back at me, "Your first shift begins tonight, follow me to the employee's room and we'll get you your uniform."

* * *

><p>We've entered the Henry Arc, welcome friends! }:D<p>

Anyway, last chapter currently complete, see you all next time. :3


	10. Chapter 10

I sighed as the halls went dark, I sat down in the security room, not entirely sure what to make of it...I had a desk in the back of the room, two vents that exited into the room, and a gaping door leading to the main hall.

On my desk was a fan, next to it was a monitor, and laying on the desk next to it was a flashlight.

I shivered a little when I recalled Louis's warnings, "They wander at night to keep this place secure..." I stated to myself, "So, does that mean that...Their programmed to attack robbers? How would they even know, their robots?"

My gaze then shifted to one of the vacant shelves of my desk, where one would normally see stacked drawers I saw nothing of the sort, instead it was filled with an animatronic head, it was just like Applejack's, but it was a lighter color.

I blinked, *What's that for?* I had wondered before the phone on the wall started to ring.

It had startled me, I spun around to see it was loading a message, "Hello, hey new guy, if your reading this then you got the job, congrats!" a female voice started playing, "Uh, let's see...My name is Morgan, I had a sister working this job quite a few years ago, same name too, odd huh?"

I blinked, I could feel my eyebrows twitching, "Why would I care?"

"Ehem, anyway, i'm here to help you survive the first night." she stated, "Now, I want you to realize that 'Survive' is...A loose term, it may sound like i'm implying it's dangerous there, but really it isn't, what i'm implying is 'Doing your very best and not getting fired', see the difference?" the chipper Morgan asked.

I turned in my chair, back to facing the main door, "Your not making me feel any better about this..." I muttered to myself, pulling up the security pad.

"Now, if you've inspected your desk thoroughly you'll have noticed that there are two items of interest...One is a mask, the other is a flashlight." Morgan stated as I flicked through the screens, "Now, what they fail to tell you is that in the central drawer is a remote that your going to want, the trick to opening it is your security badge, stick the pin into the key slot and pull."

I blinked as my attention left from the monitor, doing as Morgan instructed. The desk drawer slid open as I pulled, inside was a rectangular, black remote with one, red button.

"That remote is for the door in Sugar Cube Corner, your going to want to check that spot quite frequently, and if there is any...Green light and the door is cracked, just ignore whatever you may see back there and press that button to reactivate the locking mechanism, it'll slam the door shut, but your going to need to hold that button to re-lock it." Morgan stated, "See, you've probably been warned about the animatronics having a free-roam mode at night, well this function still seems present in...That model...Uh, anyway, use your flashlight to keep an eye on anything in the dark, and put on that Pony Head if any of the animatronics are nearby, otherwise they'll probably kill you." My eyes widened and my jaw dropped at this, "Anyway, have fun! Remember to keep Chrysalis locked up in the basement, and ignore anything that may seem...Off...Good night!~"

With that the call ended, "The hell!?" I accidentally started, "What do you mean 'they'll probably kill you'!?"

I flicked through the screens when I noticed something, Twilight's eyes were open, the iris glowing as she left the stage. I could hear my breathing increase as I looked around some more, most of the others were still in their place, the only other that had left was Gamble, and I couldn't find her on any of the screens.

I calmed my breathing, *Everything's fine, that Morgan girl was probably just picking on the new guy...* I thought to myself. I was about to try and relax when I heard something mechanical moving, I looked away from the monitor to look down the main hall...It sounded like it was...Crawling?

But then I saw it...Suddenly something dropped into the air in the main hallway, meeting the center of the door...It was the 'stand' of the Gamble animatronic, hanging there like a marionette. I gulped as it's limp head slowly looked up at me, it's eyes flickered between the usual eyes and pitch black, it hung limply from the ceiling, supported by wires and devices linked to it's secondary body.

As it looked at me it's head started to twitch, rotating towards the left, *OH FUCK!* I thought to myself, flashing the animatronic with the flashlight, freezing it temporarily, as I quickly forced the Applejack head over my head. A split moment later the Gamble animatronic blinked, no longer violently twitching, eventually it's secondary body reeled it's stand back up, I listened to the sound as it crawled away, balancing on the beams over the hallways. Eventually I let out the breath I was holding as I pulled the mask off my head, *No, that's cool, I didn't need to sleep for awhile anyway...* I hissed to myself in thought.

My attention returned to the monitor as I looked back through them, eventually seeing something I wish that I hadn't...A Twilight animatronic in the party room, but this was...Different, the upper half of it's head was removed and the costume was damaged, it's 'eyes' were replaced with two flashing, red lights.

I then gasped as I flicked the screen to Sugar Cube Corner to see something even worse...The door was cracked just enough to reveal a bright, green light that pierced the darkness, it's eyes had slits for pupils in the center and a sinister, fanged grin was illuminated by the same eerie light that also came from it's mouth, no endoskeleton in sight.

"FUCK THAT!" I screamed, pressing the button on the remote. I watched as the door slammed on the animatronic, forcing it back into the darkness, I held the button, watching the animatronic devices as they moved to lock the door.

This relief was temporarily lived as I looked away from the screen, my light began to flicker as the complete Twilight animatronic stared at me, it's eyes pitch black, as it stood in the center of the room. I gasped as I quickly pulled the head on, hoping that it was quick enough to mess with the animatronic. As the light flickered back on the Twilight animatronic's head tilted, it's eyes returned to normal as it casually walked out of the room.

I sighed as I resumed the process of locking the door, once finished I flicked through the screens to see an odd scene...The damaged Twilight was staring down the Complete Twilight, *There's two of them!?* I thought to myself, I then recognized the differences, the newer one had wings, it was also brighter, the damaged one's color was faded and stained...Well, that and she was missing a majority of her face...

Before my thoughts could come together I watched as the damaged Twilight model attacked the new one, lunging at it and pulling it to the ground, the complete Twilight struggled in the damaged one's grip.

"What..." is all I could ask as I watched the animatronic's fight, the complete Twilight eventually shook her off, tackling her and knocking her to the ground. The complete Twilight then backed away from the damaged model as Gamble descended from the rafters, landing between the two of them...I could hear something like radio static coming off her as she glared between the two of them, striking an aggressive pose that caused the two to back away from each other.

It was like they were...Scared...?

I looked towards the clock when I noticed the time, 5:57, my shift was almost over...I watched as the older Twilight retreated into one of the vents in the Party Room, the complete model returned to the stage, and Gamble retreated to her puppet show stand.

I sighed to myself as I looked through the screens, everything was in the right place, I then examined the screen at Sugar Cube Corner, the animatronic was still there, grinning at the camera through the darkness. I groaned, "Fuck off Queeny!" I shouted, pressing the button and watching it slam the door in her face again, I held the button and watched as it locked before 6:00 A.M. finally rolled around, signaled by a bell chime throughout the whole building, followed by a static noise that I found curious.

Before I knew it I had dropped everything involved in this job and ran for the door, ready to leave this place and 'hopefully' never return...

* * *

><p>Another chapter down, hope to see you in the next one. :3<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

"Ah, Mr. Sedrick, it's nice to see you back here!" Samantha stated, leaning against the wall and looking down at me. My head hurt, my ribs must've been bruised, and I KNOW I had a black eye..."It's a good thing you signed that contract or you might be out of the job, that wouldn't be very good now would it?"

I glared at her smug face, the two men in black suits at her sides stared down at me with their emotionless faces, "You...What do you want?"

Samantha shrugged, "I don't want anything but a night guard, that's where you come in, unfortunately for you that means that you'll have to abide to your contract." she stated, "Besides...No one's going to know who gave you those injuries, so you can bet no one would know why you mysteriously vanished." She stated ominously.

I looked at the clock, it was almost time for the night shit to begin.

Samantha whistled, "Well, thank you for returning early Mr. Sedrick, I wish you the best of luck tonight." with that she strolled out of the security room, her two goons not far behind.

I hissed as I got up slowly, making my way to the chair at the desk in the back of the room, "Dammit...What have I gottin' myself into?" I asked no one as I prepared for what was to come.

...12:00...

I sighed, rubbing my sore ribs as I looked through the screens. nothing was 'active' yet, but what was more important was the fact the phone was ringing.

Just like last time it was a recorded message, "Well, looks your still around, not that you could get out of course." the female voice said teasingly, "Well, just take pleasure in knowing that we were both forced to stay here, don't worry 'cause your not special!~"

I glared at the phone, "Yeah, because that makes me feel so much better!"

"Anyhow, you should know that the company decided to hide another secret, for example, by now you must have noticed that the Mane Six look newer despite the age of the animatronics, that's because they are replacements." Morgan stated, "Now, what does this mean? It means that there are two versions of the Mane Six, the ones stuck down below with the Ole' Queen of Evil, and the ones stuck on stage during the day."

I blinked, "Makes sense, the older Twilight looked pretty busted up..." I stated, remembering the 'Faceless Twilight'.

I checked through the screens, Gamble was gone, Twilight was on the move, and Rarity also seemed to be missing. I flicked through the screens to see the old Rarity crawling out of a vent, the disturbing part was that most of it's head has lifted up, revealing the endoskeleton and it's jaws.

I could hear a familiar noise, instinctively I pulled my 'mask' on before flashing a light down the hallway, hanging from the ceiling was Gamble, but unlike last night she was upside down, the secondary body peering into the room, it's 'hands' peeking at me from over slightly past the frame.

The eyes blinked a couple of times, all six of them, eventually the body reeled back up before maneuvering itself back up into the rafters. I sighed, not as phased as I had been last night, I took off the head before flicking back through the screens, I saw the damaged Rarity glaring at the camera in the Party Room, new Twilight was in the main room, old Twilight was in one of the halls, and Gamble...Was hanging upside down, staring into the camera at Sugar Cube Corner, her pitch black eyes contrasted well with the glowing green one in the doorway.

I glared at the thing locked beyond that door, pressing and holding the button as I looked around, trying to stay as aware to my surroundings as possible, the message continued, "Now, I know this is probably going to sound nutty, but those old animatronics are haunted, most of them are vengeful. Not all of them are the same as they were when they were alive, chances are that their programming is corrupting their souls, filling their heads with static...But don't mind me, i'm just rambling."

I raised an eyebrow, "That was oddly specific for rambling..." I could feel a drop of sweat rolling down my face.

I looked back through the screens, eventually I saw something that was actually pretty funny...Gamble was hanging from the ceiling, wrapping her arms and legs around the damaged Twilight, who looked like she was struggling to escape.

I chuckled as the rest of the message played, "Anyway, Gamble seems to be friends with the older animatronics, keep an eye on her though, especially if she's in Sugar Cube Corner, she seems to keep most animatronics she encounters at bay but she also helps the door open, so if your not careful she'll unleash a certain queen...That won't end well for you."

I blinked before remembering to check the door, "Thank you for telling me something actually useful, now excuse me as I add Gamble to my least favorite characters list."

* * *

><p>The rest of the night was relatively uneventful, I learned that Gamble will sometimes pick up other animatronics and carry them away, dropping them off in seemingly random locations, but it mainly seemed like she was around to keep the new and old animatronics from fighting.<p>

The two Rarity's seemed to use the vents as their main form of transportation, the old one tried breaking into the room from the right, the new one came from the left, but neither of them ever showed up at the main door.

The old Twilight seemed to be less of a threat than the new one because she seemed to be hunting down the new Twilight rather than hunting me, the new Twilight, however, came from either the main door or right vent, that and she didn't seem to care that much about the old Twilight until attacked, which usually resulted in Gamble breaking up the fight.

I did notice one odd thing as I kept the door to the basement shut, when I flicked to the 'Galloping Gallows' camera, I saw all of the 'Prized' animatronics staring at it, all of them with the pitch black eyes i'd grown familiar with...I think the worst of the ones there was that ugly goat-dragon-thing...I had seen it before but didn't know it's name...Anyway, it was grinning with it's head twisted upside down...

Regardless of how ridiculous it looked with that one tooth in the front, I still won't deny that it was definitely nightmare fuel...

Eventually all the animatronics retreated to their original spots, I sighed as the shift bell ended and I rubbed my still bruised ribs, * Great...And I have to live with this job...* I hissed to myself, slumping into my chair, *Maybe I should try meeting up with that Morgan nut job, she knows more about this than I do...*

I blinked as I could hear footsteps i the hallway, eventually Samantha appeared in the doorway, "Ah, still alive, good job!" she said, clapping her hands, "Now then, we'll see you again tonight, won't we Mr. Sedrick?"

I blinked, glaring at the woman, "Yeah...Like I have a fucking choice." I hissed.

Samantha chuckled to herself as her goons entered the room, "Now now Mr. Sedrick, it's not as bad as you think." she stated, "Boys, please escort Mr. Sedrick to his vehicle, it would be unfortunate if a stray thief were to come his way."

One of the men grunted as he put my arm over his shoulder, acting as a support, "Yeah, I got it boss." he grumbled, "Come on Mr. Sedrick, let's get you home."

...I was honestly expecting threats and violence...

I blinked as the two men escorted me to my car, eventually letting me go. I blinked as I shifted my gaze to them, "Uh...Thanks?..."

One of the two nodded, "Have a good day Mr. Sedrick, we'll see you again tonight."


	12. Chapter 12

I sighed as I entered Applejack's Barn once again, giving up the idea of leaving...The only thing that would do is get me killed.

I looked around, the place looked as though it had been abandoned...It was the hour between closing time and the start of the night shift, so naturally everyone, employees included, were gone...I sighed as i marched to the security office, shaking off the feeling of being watched.

*I'm stuck here, but I don't get it...Why is no one around, this would be the perfect time for a break in...* I thought to myself, *And I thought those goons were going to 'see me' tonight...*

I eventually arrived in the security room, the eerie silence made a shiver go up my spine as I approached the security monitor. I flicked through the screens until I jumped in surprise...I wasn't alone...

In the Party Room was a familiar looking woman, the blond woman that I occasionally saw on the way here, but why was she here?

The girl just stared at Gamble, who's curtain was pulled back to reveal it's second torso...I watched as the girl just...Stared, until eventually she finally said something, "I'm so sorry..." she said quietly, "It's my fault that this happened to you..."

I watched as the girl left, leaving the curtain drawn.

*Should I go?...No, it's not my business...Besides, i'm being forced to be an employee here...* I thought to myself, I could hear footsteps in the hallway before I eventually heard a door shutting and the click of the door locking, "All I gotta worry about is surviving..."

* * *

><p>I let out a shallow breathe as the night began, I flicked through the screen to see that, like before, Gamble was nowhere in sight, not that it was a particularly bad thing...the damned thing seemed more bipolar than the others, deciding to either creep me out or move the others around.<p>

I could hear movement, surely enough I flashed my light down the hallway to see the Rarity animatronic standing there, staring at me. The phone began to play the message as I put the pony head on, "Your back?...Come on, you should've jumped country or something!...Assuming you get this message anyway."

There was a pause, I took off the mask and looked through the screens again, "Your starting to sound more and more suspicious lady!" I hissed quietly to myself.

"Anyway, tonight is where shit get's real, I REALLY hope that your ready." she voice trailed off, "Now don't be alarmed but I thi-...Gamb-...Suga-ube..." the message slowly started to blur, I glanced over, the device looked fine but the message itself was corrupted.

"Just great!" I groaned as I returned my attention to the monitor, I jumped in shock when I saw the display room was empty. Celestia, Luna, Discord, Shining Armor...they were missing, there were other models missing but I never learned their names.

I groaned as I flicked through the cameras, I eventually saw Gamble in Sugar Cube Corner, trying to help Chrysalis escape the basement, I was quick to use the remote to stop the both of them but my attention was drawn elsewhere when I heard metallic footsteps.

I looked up and shined my flashlight in the doorway to see a certain large, white model...It was the animatronic celestia from the Galloping Gallows, or Display Room as I would call it. I was quick to put the pony head on, but something was wrong, the animatronic entered the room, it's eyes slowly turning red, "-on't let the Princesses or the others catch you with the head on, they tend to be more violent towards the older models!"

I could feel my heart skip a beat as I quickly yanked it off my head, celestia froze, her eyes slowly reverting to their original color. I watched as the animatronic slowly left the room, leaving me to count my blessings that the last bit of the message had played, "Thanks Morgan..." I groaned, massaging my chest.

I looked back at the monitor to see the Withered Twilight model laying on the floor of the party room, more damaged than before, standing over it, staring into the camera, was that Goat...Thing...Discord, grinning at the camera. I could feel a shiver run up my spine...Wait...up? aren't chills supposed to run down?

I shook my head, quickly focusing on what was important again, and when I relocked the door in sugar Cube Corner I saw another sight I hadn't been expecting. The Gamble animatronic was wrapped around the Luna animatronic, which was struggling to move due to the mass of parts and wires, while an older looking Applejack model approached them, one of it's eyes were dim, black, and damaged, the other was flickering, and her jaw was hanging loose.

The Withered Applejack looked as though it was about to attack when the Celestia animatronic arrived on the scene, cutting a new whole into her already torn costume with a stab of it's horn.

As much as I wanted to watch this 'fight', there were more pressing matters...Specifically the rattling noise in the air vents, the withered Rarity was in the left vent, the Discord animatronic was in the right, with that grin...

I looked back and forth, eventually deciding to put on the head. I looked at both animatronics as they exited the vents, the Rarity model left while the discord model got in my face, staring at me with it's glowing red eyes. Eventually I ripped the pony head off, revealing my face to the Frankenstein-like monstrosity, it blinked before hesitantly leaving.

before I knew it I was checking the main room...Vinyl was pretty much stranded thanks to what they did to her legs, and oddly enough the animatronic was just rocking out...

"At least one of you bastards aren't out to kill me..." I stated with a sigh, I then flickered through the screens once again. The Luna animatronic, having a plastic shell instead of fur costume, was undamaged from the attack that was staged on her, and the celestia animatronic had driven off Withered applejack and Gamble.

Shining Armor was at my door, but I didn't have the head on so I was fine, in fact it was guarding me from the Withered Twilight...But why did the newer versions of the main characters and their older older versions want to kill me if these 'display' animatronics didn't?

* * *

><p>I groaned as I left the building, my job concluded once again...Tomorrow would be Friday, and I couldn't imagine what it would be like then...<p>

I watched as the blonde woman from before arrived on the lot and entered the building, evidently knowing that people were allowed in this early, *One of these days i'll have to pull you over and get your story, your almost as suspicious as that Morgan chick...*

I got in my car and started home, ready to get a well deserved rest.


	13. Chapter 13

"H-Hey, let go of me!" the blond girl from before shouted.

I quickly retracted my hand, I had basically took hold of her shoulder to keep her from walking past me. I stared back against her glare, "Look, ma'am, I have a few questions that I need to know as a Night Guard, so please, stop ignoring me and give me some answers."

Normally i'd worry about people staring, but we were in the main hallway...I had basically came to work early today, I wanted to catch this girl before she left and I figured this would be the best time without looking suspicious.

The girl stared at me, an eyebrow raised, "You know I could scream for help right now, that wouldn't end well for you."

I shook my head, "Ma'am I know what I did is stupid, but I have to find out what's going on around here, you seem to have some idea, don't you?"

She looked away, her face turning into a frown, "Yeah...I know something alright..." she stated. she looked around, there were no security cameras and the sound of their talking was drowned out by the music from the main room, "What is it...and Why?"

I breathed a sigh of relief, "I need to know the full story, what happened at this place to mess with the animatronics?"

She froze, "I..." she paused for a moment, "When I was little I came here every day, it was safe, and it was much better to be here than at home..." she started, "But one day...Well, night...My friends had dared me to try to get into the building at night."

I huffed, "Which is illegal..."

She glared at me, "Shut up old man, we were kids!"

I could feel my eyebrow twitch, "I'm not old, i'm twenty-eight, your probably like...seventeen."

She shook her head, "I'm nineteen!" she stated, her glare soon dropped as she continued her story, "So I came to break into the Pizzeria and prove to my friends that I could do it...But then..."

There was a moment of silence, her voice fell, almost drowned out by the music and noise.

"I was stalked by an older man..." she finally stated, crossing her arms, "He chased me to the Pizzeria where I was let in by a night guard...He told me to take cover in the security room..." her voice shook slightly, "the night guard was killed, and the man came after me..."

I blinked, her voice was starting to shake, "If you need a break..."

The girl suddenly lunged at me, grabbing me by the collar and staring up into my eyes, there was something different about them...A mix of craze, desperation, and sadness, "NO!" she shouted, "You, your the only person I can talk to about this, you work here at night, only you will believe me!"

I jumped slightly as it finally dawned on me, the reason her story would sound unbelievable to the others, "It was the animatronics...Wasn't it?" I asked. Upon hearing this she calmed a little, backing off, "Alright, i'm listening."

The girl took a few deep breathes before continuing, "When I got into the security office, I shut the doors and Pinkie protected me...She pulled me under the table and pulled my face against her coat..." she started, "She said 'Don't worry, my friends will help you!'...And, the animatronics attacked the man, they scared him into the main room and...He was killed..."

I blinked, "Killed by who?" I don't know why it mattered, but I just wanted to hear it...

The girl blinked before looking away, "Gamble...The Night Guard, he...No...She...Killed him." I looked at her in confusion, "You didn't know?"

I shook my head, "About this incident, no...About Gamble...I've heard some things..."

The girl blinked a couple of times, "Gamble...Was the name of the Night Guard that let me in...They made an animatronic in his honor...Gamble Daywatch." she stated, her tone calmed, "Every time I visited it brought back the nightmares of what happened that night...Until she was added to the cast...Gamble, the animatronic that wasn't liked at first because she wasn't a canon character..."

I thought back to the first night of the job, remembering watching her head twist and shake...It was nightmare fuel, "And after that?"

The girl smiled, "The nightmares went away...I was crying one day, and Gamble walked over to me, she put an arm around me and told me 'It's alright, kid.'..." she stated, "I didn't find out that they had the same name until Gamble's little sister came and asked about it...Then there was no way I couldn't see the resemblance...Both of them were nice, both of them were there to keep me safe."

I raised an eyebrow when I heard about Gamble's sister, but it was probably best to keep on track so I didn't ask about it.

"Gamble did a good job at protecting people, she became something of a hero to everyone...Until that day..." she stated dryly, "The Shooting of Corner Street..." I hadn't heard of that, then again I didn't move here until my high school years, "It was the day a man armed with a gun snuck into the Pizzeria with the crowd...He took a hostage and demanded that everyone get o the ground...But my sister...She pushed the man..."

She froze, trembling in place, I debated whether pushing on was ethical or not...

"H-His finger slipped when he got pushed, and he shot the hostage in the head...A boy that was no older than me..." she stated, "The animatronics got mad...All of them...They let their stages and closed in on the man...And after they knocked him down..."

She paused again, "You don't have to continu-" I tried to stop her, but she cut me off.

"Gamble bit off the front of his face..." she stated, taking me by surprise, "She had told him 'You shouldn't have done that', her eyes were pitch black...And she just...bit off his face, taking out a chunk of his brain...But I guess that wasn't all..."

There was a moment of silence between us, I stared at the girl in disbelief, "Dear god..." What else could I say, I had been told that the animatronic bit somebody, but I was never told this!

The girl started to tear up, "Because of that that took off Gamble's lower jaw and turned her into that mess in the Party Room...It's all my fault that she's like that!" she shouted, crying as she turned and ran out the exit.

I blinked, I wasn't sure what to think of all this...I remembered Morgan's words...

*Morgan said that the animatronics were haunted...Was that true?* I wondered to myself, personally I didn't believe in ghosts but...With all that i've heard, all that i've seen...Could I really just deny it?

I turned my head to look down the hallway that led to Sugar Cube Corner, the place that i've dreaded ever since my first night on the job...Something told me that I was missing something, if the animatronics were possessed then what was keeping them here?

...*Well, I can't find out if I get myself killed...* I thought to myself, determined to figure this out, *Because of these animatronics i'm stuck here for every night, if I don't figure this out I won't be able to return to a normal life...*

I had to do this, or this messed up job would become my new life...


	14. Chapter 14

I looked at the monitor as the phone began to ring, "Welcome welcome!" a familiar voice cheered, "I must admit that I respect your tenacity, most guards would've just tossed themselves to the animatronics by now."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, yes, can this damned message skip to the point?"

"You know, i've worked here for quite some time...I almost got out of my contract, but needless to say i'm still employed, but I don't really mind." she stated, "I'm surrounded by such lovely friends...Six of them that stay here with me, and one that occasionally visits...Although my brain has pretty much rotted by now..." she trailed off.

I raised an eyebrow, "You have seven friends..." I whispered to myself.

I checked the cameras and discovered something...Every screen had an animatronic in it...I blinked, the withered animatronic's eyes were pitch black, the newer ones shared this trait...Even the Prized animatronics had black eyes...

I groaned as the noise of the vents began sounding, "You see...I know everything about this place, that's because i've been trapped here for so long...Trapped...Left to rot in the dark...You want answers, right? Well, why not come down here and find them? Fufufufu!~"

I could feel a chill run down my spine, *...I think I get it...* I thought to myself, shifting to the camera in Sugar Cube Corner...Behind the door was a familiar face, but blood ran down it's face from it's glowing, green eyes...That creepy grin I had grown somewhat used to was gone, replaced with a frown.

I closed the door with the remote before looking through the screens, I could hear something in the left vent, flashing a light on it I saw the Luna animatronic, blinking at me...Surprisingly it didn't have the black eyes that the others did.

After staring at me for a moment she pulled herself back into the vent, I could hear movement in the halls...Surely enough I saw Gamble hanging from the ceiling and the Withered Twilight. I flashed them both with my flashlight before slipping the mask over my head, the two froze before suddenly the Celestia animatronic ran in from the left, impaling Withered Twilight in the side with her horn.

As sparks flew from the damaged animatronic's side Gamble's eyes flashed red as she lowered herself onto Celestia's neck, Celestia tried to escape her grip but Gamble managed to hold on as she reeled herself into the rafters, pulling up the Celestia animatronic by her throat.

I could feel time slowing down as I watched the scene, *These animatronics...They aren't evil...*

I blinked as I looked down at the pony mask and sighed, I placed it on my head before running into the hallway. Gamble watched as I ran up to Celestia's side and began lifting the Withered Twilight from her horn, the Celestia animatronic glared at me as she struggled, I just grunted as I slowly lowered the wounded animatronic to the floor.

The Withered Twilight slowly looked up at me, her head twitching slightly, before running off down the hall. I quickly ran back to the Security Office, taking my seat and removing the mask. Celestia stopped struggling as Gamble released her and retreated into the rafters, Celestia looked around before walking down the main hall.

I let out a sigh of relief, *I can't believe that I just did that...But it felt surprisingly right...* I thought to myself as I flickered through the screens, locking the door on Chrysie again.

I looked around to see that oddly enough they left Vinyl alone, leaving her to just jam out..."HI!" a chipper voice shouted in my ears.

I jumped in my seat as I turned to see the Withered Pinkie animatronic...This was my first time seeing it...It looked like Pinkie would normally accept...Bad...

Her animatronic eyes had been removed all together, part of her mane was poofy while the other was straightened, the costume has damaged quite badly, several holes with wires sticking out covered it's form...I think the more surprising thing was the broken, hanging jaw, "Hey guy, my name's Pi-Pinkie Pie!"

I blinked before putting the mask on...The animatronic didn't leave.

"Hey, y-you should go meet Morgan, she-she's really lonely ev-even though she has all of us, maybe we should all hang out and h-have a P-PARTY!" The animatronic went on and on...

I quickly looked away to look back through the monitors, nothing much was going on that I would have to worry about, Gamble wasn't trying to free the queen, instead her hands were full with breaking up fights all across the building...I think the most active pony was Withered Applejack, who was essentially crossing the building in no time.

I managed to catch her in the room, I went to flash her eyes when I noticed something slide out of the vents...The Luna animatronic had Withered Applejack trapped in a hug...?

I blinked before shrugging, I looked up and down the hall with the flashlight to see the New Rainbow Dash flying down the hall at me.

I blinked as I flashed her in the eyes, then I watched as she fell out of the sky and skid across the floor before skidding to a halt in front of the security office, "Heh, sorry Dashie, no hugs for you." I stated before going about my business.

I put on the Pony Head again, the Luna animatronic seemed to ignore this as she crawled into the vents, New Rainbow Dash and Withered Applejack left as well, Applejack had left through the opposite vent to avoid fighting with the New Dashie...Probably to avoid having Gamble called on her.

meanwhile The New Pinkie and Withered Pinkie would randomly appear in my room...It would seem that regardless of me wearing the mask or not they were just there...Bugging me...

Occasionally the Flutter animatronics would appear in both vents, and occasionally the Shining Armor animatronic would come to New Twilight's rescue...

...All in all things were oddly easy...

The Withered animatronics seemed to become less aggressive as the night went on...

As my shift came to an end I watched the Withered animatronics vanish into the vents...All except the Withered Twilight that stared at the camera before retreating, and Gamble, which stared into the camera as she drew the curtain...

I feel like I did a good thing...

That's when I heard the phone going off, "Well, you did it...The fifth night..." a solemn voice stated, "See you next week...Henry..."

I blinked before making a trip to Sugar Cube Corner, the door was partially open but nothing was there. I walked up to it before grabbing the handle, "See you around, Morgan!" I shouted down into the darkness that was the establishment's basement. 


End file.
